Frozen (Cold Awakening) by Robin Wasserman

Many of the books that I have read recently have been Young Adult titles. A couple of months ago, Buzzfeed posted a list of hot new releases, and I have been making my way through that list. I also can’t seem to stop finding interesting books whenever I go to the library. It’s kind of a problem- my reading list never seems to get any shorter!

Without a doubt, the biggest trend in Young Adult literature is dystopian fiction. The most popular dystopian series is The Hunger Games, but there are many others. I had not heard of the Frozen series, but the cover and synopsis intrigued me. This is a young adult series written by Robin Wasserman. Apparently, the series was previously published under a different name- Skinned.

Frozen is the story of Lia Kahn, a girl who survives a terrible car accident. Survived is a relative term; Lia’s body cannot be repaired, but her parents elect to have her brain scanned and downloaded into a new mechanical body. Advancements in science and technology make these mechs humanlike, but the practice is extremely controversial, and mechs have a hard time finding a place in society.

Before the accident, Lia was popular, and her friends aren’t quite sure what to think about the new Lia. She also doesn’t fit in with the other mechs. She finds friendship with an awkward classmate, but also begins to participate in destructive activities with her new mech friends.

Frozen is certainly an interesting look at the classic “struggling to fit in” trope found in many young adult novels. What I found even more fascinating than Lia’s story is the world in which she lives. Like Lia, the reader is dropped into this new world, and the framework comes out in bits and pieces. The wealthy people seem to live in enclaves because they have enough “credit”. They have also sold their votes to “corps” who seem to run the country. Only poor people live in cities, many of which have been destroyed. The cities that remain are crime-ridden, and no one ever goes there. One can only guess at the events that transpired for society to end up at this point, but I was intrigued.

Some of the aspects were a little hard to understand. It was not difficult to ascertain what Wasserman was describing, but I felt like it would be beneficial to have more in-depth information as opposed to just the overview that the reader is provided with.

I would recommend Frozen, but I found myself more fascinated by the anthropological aspects of the story rather than Lia’s plight. I’m interested to see what happens next as Lia tries to find her place in the world. If you would like some more information, you can find it here:Frozen (Cold Awakening)